Every Sunday, across Ameri- ca, millions of Black families dress in their finest, head to church, and tithe. It’s a sacred ritual—an act of faith and tradition. But let’s ask an uncomfortable question: what if those tithes were treated like reparations? Could the Black church re- build the very communities it’s located in?
The Black church has long been a spiritual refuge, a cultural cornerstone, and a political launching pad.
It stood tall during slavery, led movements through Jim Crow, and gave rise to icons like Dr. King. But in 2025, many Black neighborhoods remain in crisis—riddled with poverty, poor schools, gun violence, and food deserts—while some churches collect millions a year.
So where’s the disconnect?
The modern megachurch can raise $20K in one Sunday. Over a year, that’s over $1 million from tithes alone—not counting special offerings. Imagine if just 30% of that went directly into the hood: buying back abandoned properties, opening free clinics, funding after-school programs, or paying off student debt for
young Black professionals. Tithes were never meant to just maintain buildings and pay salaries. In biblical times, they supported widows, orphans, and the poor. So what if we reframed tithing as a tool of economic liberation—a form of self- funded reparations to revive the neighborhoods many pastors still preach from but no longer live in?
To be clear, many churches do give back. But the question remains: is it enough? Is it strategic? And is it transformational?
We can no longer afford to separate faith from economics. If reparations from the government remain stalled, then perhaps the Black church—the most consistent Black institution in America—can act now. Not as a charity. Not as a bailout. But as a revolutionary act of stewardship.
What if our worship wasn’t just a sound, but a strategy?
The time has come for pastors, congregations, and community leaders to look inward and ask: are we just praying for the hood, or are we actually rebuilding it?
Because if we can tithe millions…We can fix our own streets.
And maybe—just maybe— the church isn’t waiting on God.
Maybe God is waiting on the church.
Would your church step up if tithes became reparations?
Say Amen… and do the math.
